


Hungry

by ToneeStark



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Zombies - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, zombies - Fandom
Genre: ...eventually, Action, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Comfort, Horror, Hurt, Multi-verse, Time Travel, Tony Stark Bingo 2018, Zombie, Zombie Marvel, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 21:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15127772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToneeStark/pseuds/ToneeStark
Summary: Tony Stark and Hank Pym have a way to reverse all of Thanos' wrong doings, but they need a quick trial to ensure that the technology can work. Winding their way into a worm hole through the quantum realm, they finally make it to an alternate universe and an alternate timeline, only it wasn't quite what they were expecting...





	Hungry

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to thank my wonderful beta reader, Deathsweetqueen for her corrections and thoughts. Any errors are my own. :)

It was raining, and Tony Stark had the foreboding sense that today was not going to be a good day. Everyone always expected him to get into a more optimistic mindset like Steve, but his realist personality was too ingrained in him by his father.

Today was the day that himself and Hank Pym would be trying out their combined technology for time travel. Between Pym’s knowledge of the Quantum Realm and Tony’s further development of the Binary Augmented Retro Framing (B.A.R.F.) tech, the two geniuses had developed a way to travel through time and realities to reverse the effects of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet.

They didn’t really know what they would find the first time around, so Tony found himself pacing by the rain-soaked windows of the bunker lobby, as he waited for Pym’s go-ahead on his StarkPhone.

“You two going to be okay?”

The voice made Iron Man’s alter ego jump and turn sharply on his heel, facing his questioner. Steve Rogers stared into Tony’s brown eyes, genuine concern written on his face.

It had been rocky between them, since Tony and Nebula had flown back to Earth sans three-quarters of their team. Steve had barely spoken a word to him for the first three weeks Tony was back, which was alright by Tony because he a) didn’t want to open that can of emotions; b) didn’t need to be scolded for hopping into the donut, hoping to handle Thanos alone; and c) Tony had been severely depressed and didn’t feel that anyone could pull him from the dark reverie he was in. Least of all Steve.

Eventually, they had gotten back on professional speaking terms, but both men still tiptoed around the other. They were both aware that the other had lost a huge chunk of their hearts but never went further than a simple: “Hi, how’s it going?”, the answer to which was a hugely false “good”.

“Of course. We will be fine. Just taking a quick hop into the H.G. Wells Express and we will be back in a minute. Exploring. Making sure the machine works, y’know standard time travel stuff.” Tony waved his hands around as per usual, as he explained concepts that he had obviously dumbed down for Captain America’s benefit.

“I was thinking that we should talk before you go, Tony… I-” Steve was, thankfully, cut off by the Back in Black ringtone that blared through the mostly empty halls.

“I’ll have to catch you when I get back, Rogers. Wish us luck.” Tony bolted away from the awkward conversation, leaving Steve staring after him sadly.

Rounding the corner and out of Steve’s sight, Tony released a sharp breath and leaned back against the concrete wall behind him. He closed his eyes and breathed until his heart rate slowed. After the panic attack subsided, Tony briskly walked to the main laboratory where Old-Man-Hankeroo (as Tony liked to refer to him as) sat, a black backpack in hand.

“Bag packed, Stark?”

Tony nodded and reached behind the glass door of the lab, pulling a similar bag out. “All the essentials, as well as some emergency stuff. Then, of course, I have the nanobots.” Tony tapped his chest.

Hank rolled his eyes, “Any opportunity for you to mention them…” he said sarcastically.

“What can I say? I’m proud of how big of a genius I am. I am big in other ways but y’know…”

Hank’s look was all Tony needed for a warning to shut the fuck up.

“Alrighty then, off we go. Lead the way, Hankeroo.” Another look that could kill. Tough crowd.

Tony grabbed his Pym Particle unit and placed it into his palm, getting ready for whatever was to come. There weren’t many Avengers left to see them off, but Tony’s peripheral vision caught Steve standing outside the lab, leather-clad hand touching the glass that separated them. Natasha soon joined him, and they both waved as Hank smiled thinly, before turning to Tony.

The B.A.R.F. box was sitting in front of them and they set their free palms onto a button sitting in the center of it. All they had to do was hit that button and subsequently hit the activation on their particle units, and they should enter the quantum realm with access to any reality they wished for.

“Remember, hit the particle unit within 3 seconds of the box and we should be good to go.” Tony nodded, nervous and trying to wash away the panic attack that was spilling over his nerves. “Alright, Stark. 5, 4, 3, 2…..1.”

* * *

It was fast and reminded Tony of the acid he took in college. Psychedelic colors flashed by him as well as various portholes leading to what Tony briefly assumed was alternate dimensions, however, he wasn’t entirely sure until he saw Hank float beside him. The older man grabbed Tony’s hand and yanked him over to the nearest porthole.

Tony wasn’t even trying to hide his shock. This was the most brainless he felt since New York and he found himself incapable of receiving or transmitting any information along his neurons other than “oh fuck oh fuck….” Etc. etc. So, Tony went willingly with Pym, no comments, arguments, or quips.

The whole entering the quantum realm thing really didn’t do much to Tony, but the wormhole that they flew through certainly did. It felt like it tugged at every molecule that comprised his body, pulling them apart and shoving them back together. He looked at Pym, as they flew through for what seemed like an eternity and saw the distortions of his face and body in the reflection against Hank’s glasses. His goatee was definitely not symmetrical, and neither were his nose, eyes, arms, legs – really, his whole fucking body looked like he got stung by a million yellow jackets.

Gut-wrenchingly, they were sucked through a lightly-colored hole in the recesses of the porthole and found themselves falling through the air approximately 10 miles above ground.

Tony felt himself fall through clouds and was barely able to see the landscape below him as his brain went into a proactive overdrive at the imminent danger presented to him and Hank. He found himself screaming and identifying how much time he had before becoming a flat pancake. About 5 minutes was what he calculated.

“THE SUIT IDIOT!”

He was already on it as Pym cried out, falling beside him and voice drowned out by the air that pressured past their ears. Tony pulled his jacket open, tapped the nanobot housing and was subsequently covered, piece by piece, by nanobot-induced metallic armor. The last piece to cover him was the head plate, which formed around his eyes and face, molded to him.

Without FRIDAY to alert him of the armor activation, Tony had to guess his suit was done after approximately 20 seconds. His neurons conjured up the flight gear and he felt clicking that assured him that the system was in place and engaged.

With no amount of tact, his jets groaned and blasted upwards, followed by a downwards shift. The engines sped up and Tony found himself at the same level as Pym, reaching out to grab him and slow his descent.

They weren’t very close to the ground, at least in Tony’s mind, so he flew down with Hank in his arms a little way until he could get a better look at what lay below them.

It was New York City. He could even see the old Stark Tower staring back at him. But something was very wrong.

Grass grew over all of the roads. Vines threaded their way up buildings, covering buildings that Tony recognized and made them almost unrecognizable. Invasive Kudzu was handing off the red lights and seemed to envelop cars that lay completely still in the middle of the paths that twined their way around the skyscrapers. Concrete lay in ruins, rubble and sand piles. Aged red graffiti claiming the end of times and religious mantras marked the once-clean glass panes of Stark Tower.

As Tony got closer, he could see a mob of individuals standing still outside of the tower’s front doors. It had been pre-decided that they would keep to themselves and not interact with any humans, lest they cause the alternate universe to dilapidate due to their otherworldly interruptions. To be fair… Tony decided that this world was already pretty damn dilapidated, even without their intervention.

Undetected for now, Tony dove behind a different skyscraper and began lowering himself and Pym down. Metal clanked against broken asphalt as Iron Man’s feet made contact with the ground.

Both men stood silently as they observed this world. Something was very wrong with the universe, but there was nothing they could do to change it…. They had to leave it be. A world that was falling apart with who knows how much of humanity left alive. This was not the universe they had intended to go to, but curiosity and a scientist’s mind couldn’t help them from exploring for the briefest of minutes.

Still not speaking, both men popped their head around the corner of the building and observed the mob in front of the old Stark Tower. The mob seemed peaceful and unmoving, but Tony had a bad bad _bad_ feeling. When were mobs ever peaceful?? Even religious mobs almost always had some sort of chanting or prayer or whatever it was religious mobs did… but they were still loud.

“We need to go Pym…” Tony whispered softly, settling his metal gauntlet on Hank’s shoulder.

“I want to know what happened…” Hank trailed off as he swatted at Iron Man’s arm “… one more minute, one more minute…” The last syllable was slightly louder than the rest and the crowd began to stir.

Tony quieted and was afraid that they had heard them. But the crowd stilled again until the front doors of Stark Tower opened and two figures walked out.

The figures looked beat to hell. Skin and bones and so many wounds lined their bodies. Blood stained their uniforms, but there was no mistaking who they were.

Captain America and Falcon.

 

* * *

Tony’s suit zoomed into the two Avengers that stood atop the staircase staring down at everyone and what he saw chilled his blood.

Yeah, it was Cap and Sam alright. Albeit about falling apart as much as the city was. Falcon’s jaw hung loosely from its hinges, one side held together solely by visible muscle and ligaments bursting out from the dead, dry skin that wrapped around his head. Gashes and rips lined his neck, stagnant arteries and veins sticking out from the wounds. His outfit was torn in multiple spots and instead of the normal muscle that rippled underneath the white suit, it looked as if there were only bones.

His cam focused on Cap but before he could analyze the super-soldier’s physique, he noticed that the Captain was pointing straight at him and Pym. One by one the heads of the crowd turned and the image that met Tony’s eyes was truly horrific. Every single one of them had the flesh pulled from their faces. Mere skeletons looked back at him, some eye sockets empty and some holding blank eyeballs that were white with death-induced calcium deposits.

Slowly, Tony began to back away, refusing to move his eyes from their locked position. “Pym…Pym…. HANK.” Tony whispered harshly and at his words, the mob began groaning and moving towards him. Some of the bodies shuffled, missing bits and pieces of their legs, while others began at a full-on sprint. Tony grabbed Hank by the shoulders and barrel rolled, jets activating as he raised off the ground, dragging his friend with him.

Hank slipped out of Tony’s hands as one of the crowd-members jumped up, grabbing his ankle and yanking him down. The older man fumbled as he fell and ultimately gripped Tony’s ankle, forming a barrel of monkey-esque chain flying through the air as more possessed bodies jumped on their comrade to yank Pym from the sky.

Eventually, they succeeded, their weight becoming too much for Iron Man. Tony wanted to send off a blast from his boots that would incinerate the beings below him, but unfortunately, that would take out Hank with them.

Tony moved from side to side, trying to knock the things loose, but was not successful as the beings… the _zombies_ enveloped him and Pym. He heard Hank’s dying screams but couldn’t see him as he was ripped away and out of Iron Man’s reach. The things were gnawing at his metal-clad ankles, leaving remnants of spit and muscle fascia behind.

Tony screamed for Hank but was unable to hear anything above the roar of the mob surrounding them. The beings tore at his suit but were unable to garner the strength to rip away the titanium alloy connectors.

He had to leave Hank. If Hank was even still alive.

Tony bellowed as he blasted his repulsors, zooming out of the pile and into the stratosphere. As he did so, one of the things grabbed onto his wrist, ripping off the Pym Particle unit and dropping it below the mob’s feet.

 _Fuck!!_ Tony continued zooming off, resigned to the fact that he would have to return later to get the unit…. And his friend’s eaten body.

* * *

_What-the-fuck-just-fucking-happened?_

Tony’s breaths were drawn in quick hitches, tears streaming down his face and eyes wide in shock. These were zombies. Like George A. Romero zombies. _IMPOSSIBLE_ ZOMBIES.

Tony had researched zombies as a kid after seeing Night of the Living Dead. He researched them and biology and had come to the subsequent conclusion that there was no way for them to exist, allowing himself to enjoy the movies with little fear of an actual zombie apocalypse occurring.

_Well,_ _it turns out, I was fucking wrong!!_

Tony’s brain was on autopilot and conjuring up discombobulated thoughts and images as he tried to process what just happened. Normally, this came pretty easy to him, but after hearing Pym’s screams as he endured cannibalism, he couldn’t formulate any thoughts or plans.

Tony sat on a rooftop, mask down as his tears dappled the ground below him. All he had was his suit with a limited amount of nanoparticles and a backpack full of concentrated coffee, water, Skittles, and some random, life-saving tech that he had nabbed off the lab table.

He had to conserve the number of nanoparticles that he had left for any defense measures he would need, so he lightly tapped the housing unit, removing any defenses that he currently had up.

This was supposed to be a short mission. This was supposed to be a quick exploration of another universe to make sure the equipment worked. Obviously, it did but also obviously it would not be a quick mission.

He looked over the concrete ledge and saw the mob sitting down over where the particle unit was ripped from him. They stared up at him, waiting patiently for their next dinner to come down. 

As he hung his head low and stared at his potential captors, they parted, letting Captain Deadmerica and Zombie!Falcon through to approach the doors of the New York Times building that Tony perched atop.

Of course, they easily got through the glass doors and Tony could only imagine them working their way up to the 53rd floor where he sat down. Maybe they could talk? They did seem to be the leaders of the zombie horde, but the genius wasn’t sure that he wanted to risk trying his hand at moans and groans to communicate with the two. Either way, he found that he wasn’t moving from his seat. His body was frozen.

The rooftop door slammed open as Cap and Falcon rushed through, mouths moving, teeth chattering, and noses sniffing as if they were hunting dogs. Their clouded pupils settled on Tony’s form as he swallowed and held his hands up.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the read! Not sure if zombies are still 'in', but I love them so wanted to write this! This is also for the Tony Stark Bingo 2018 challenge for my K1 square: crossover, Marvel verse x Marvel verse. Please leave a kudo or comment if you liked the first chapter!


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